How to imporve App Camera? - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Questions & Answers

Default Camera App of Xiaomi Redmi Note 5/Pro is not bad!
But when another apps using camera (such as facebook, google Duo...), the picture quality is realy bad? i khow it doen't/isn't because of sensor'quality!
So How to imporve App Camera?
Tks

I always try to take photos with the camera app and then share to other apps, rather than take from within Facebook, hangouts, Viber, WhatsApp, etc. Most of those apps will still compress the image a bit also, so better starting with the best quality image, ie straight from the actual camera app itself.
Sent from my Redmi Note 5 using Tapatalk

gsmyth said:
I always try to take photos with the camera app and then share to other apps, rather than take from within Facebook, hangouts, Viber, WhatsApp, etc. Most of those apps will still compress the image a bit also, so better starting with the best quality image, ie straight from the actual camera app itself.
Sent from my Redmi Note 5 using Tapatalk
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But it takes many time and inconvenience. Can any one replace default csmera API for app with better one?

dynamic503 said:
But it takes many time and inconvenience. Can any one replace default csmera API for app with better one?
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You can't change what API an application uses, some apps take advantage of camera2 api. If any of the ones your using do and you haven't enabled camera2 api with magisk or either i think it's a build.prop edit, then there likely to be defaulting to camera1 api that's my guess at least.
This assumes your using a custom rom, i'm not sure if camera2 api is enabled by default with MIUI or if it requires root.Your primary camera app can take advantage of binary, blobs drivers that the third party apps may not necessarily benefit from, no perfect solution try it and see.

gsmyth said:
I always try to take photos with the camera app and then share to other apps, rather than take from within Facebook, hangouts, Viber, WhatsApp, etc. Most of those apps will still compress the image a bit also, so better starting with the best quality image, ie straight from the actual camera app itself.
Sent from my Redmi Note 5 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Alister. said:
You can't change what API an application uses, some apps take advantage of camera2 api. If any of the ones your using do and you haven't enabled camera2 api with magisk or either i think it's a build.prop edit, then there likely to be defaulting to camera1 api that's my guess at least.
This assumes your using a custom rom, i'm not sure if camera2 api is enabled by default with MIUI or if it requires root.Your primary camera app can take advantage of binary, blobs drivers that the third party apps may not necessarily benefit from, no perfect solution try it and see.
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I have enabled camera api2 already. For google camera. The pic quality is very good. But how can another camera app can use that camera driver?

dynamic503 said:
I have enabled camera api2 already. For google camera. The pic quality is very good. But how can another camera app can use that camera driver?
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I've asked this type of thing before, and had a few developers try to answer it it's messy. The idea is Samsung, LG, Xiaomi every manufacturer has there own default rom.
They call theirs stock, that's their version of stock, it's customised only AOSP is truly stock, but the manufacturers versions of their "own" stock roms include a binary also referred to as binary, blobs, it's pretty much a closed source driver each manufacturer makes so their default camera looks amazing.
A general idea is replacing stock rom from any manufacturer with any that isn't based of their "own" stock rom isn't going to include their camera driver as it's closed source, so developers can't use it, they can get the cameras working but they don't look great compared to stock with binary. Lots of people avoid custom roms lineage os aosp ect for this reason video calls, all apps using the camera look terrible.
Two exceptions google open sources there camera drivers and oneplus might be some rare others, in these cases camera quality is expected to be the same while using lineage os or aosp.
I'm not 100% sure if all apps use camera1 and camera2 api if you try look for whatsapp or google duo i couldn't confirm it for them, snapchat uses camera1 api instagram uses camera2 api, but maybe some apps don't benefit from camera2 api at all i'm unsure.
I also tried asking if google camera ports, look better on stock roms that have the binary driver from companies, compared to lineage os ect that don't have it, but that's unclear as even tho i'm 100% sure the binary from manufacturers benefit there own made camera apps, i'm not 100% if the binary benefits all third party apps, but i guess it does, as that's likely the reason all apps look worse moving away from stock roms.
Google camera ports may look great on roms without, the binary as they simply make use of camera2 api which doesn't really require anything from the closed source driver, which would explain why everyone raves about google camera ports on lineage os ect been great, before camera 2 api never saw people been overly impressed about camera apps with missing binary drivers.
Are you on MIUI or something else? you did say the stock camera app not google camera looks good and everything else looks worse, if your still on MIUI then maybe they don't have a binary or simply one that only effects there own camera app, you mentioned the camera lens quality also it's mostly software driver optimisations per individual app ect influencing it's quality.
You asked how to make other apps use google cameras driver, well google camera is benefiting from camera2 api that isn't a driver at all, however it is a requirement similar aspect to a driver it's up to each app developer if there going to make there, application benefit from camera1 api or camera2 api or not at all, so you cant force apps to use it when the developer of that app never implemented camera2 api to begin with, you enable camera2 api for google camera because custom roms and lots of phones don't have it enabled at all. Some phones sold from stores have camera2 api enabled out of the box.
I do actually wish there was a way to fix this, as i've thought about this myself, i did ask a question here about the same type of thing you can read it if you like.
https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/200073/stock-os-vs-custom-proprietary-camera
also this the different levels of camera2 api supported depending on your phone
https://www.androidexplained.com/camera2-api-support/
the only other idea, i have is if the rom you use lets you choose the stock camera app to use and you change that to google camera and whatever, but i'm sure that's wishful thinking as when you do a video call an app will likely default to it's own camera even if you do that, but couldn't hurt to try it i guess!

Alister. said:
I've asked this type of thing before, and had a few developers try to answer it it's messy. The idea is Samsung, LG, Xiaomi every manufacturer has there own default rom.
They call theirs stock, that's their version of stock, it's customised only AOSP is truly stock, but the manufacturers versions of their "own" stock roms include a binary also referred to as binary, blobs, it's pretty much a closed source driver each manufacturer makes so their default camera looks amazing.
A general idea is replacing stock rom from any manufacturer with any that isn't based of their "own" stock rom isn't going to include their camera driver as it's closed source, so developers can't use it, they can get the cameras working but they don't look great compared to stock with binary. Lots of people avoid custom roms lineage os aosp ect for this reason video calls, all apps using the camera look terrible.
Two exceptions google open sources there camera drivers and oneplus might be some rare others, in these cases camera quality is expected to be the same while using lineage os or aosp.
I'm not 100% sure if all apps use camera1 and camera2 api if you try look for whatsapp or google duo i couldn't confirm it for them, snapchat uses camera1 api instagram uses camera2 api, but maybe some apps don't benefit from camera2 api at all i'm unsure.
I also tried asking if google camera ports, look better on stock roms that have the binary driver from companies, compared to lineage os ect that don't have it, but that's unclear as even tho i'm 100% sure the binary from manufacturers benefit there own made camera apps, i'm not 100% if the binary benefits all third party apps, but i guess it does, as that's likely the reason all apps look worse moving away from stock roms.
Google camera ports may look great on roms without, the binary as they simply make use of camera2 api which doesn't really require anything from the closed source driver, which would explain why everyone raves about google camera ports on lineage os ect been great, before camera 2 api never saw people been overly impressed about camera apps with missing binary drivers.
Are you on MIUI or something else? you did say the stock camera app not google camera looks good and everything else looks worse, if your still on MIUI then maybe they don't have a binary or simply one that only effects there own camera app, you mentioned the camera lens quality also it's mostly software driver optimisations per individual app ect influencing it's quality.
You asked how to make other apps use google cameras driver, well google camera is benefiting from camera2 api that isn't a driver at all, however it is a requirement similar aspect to a driver it's up to each app developer if there going to make there, application benefit from camera1 api or camera2 api or not at all, so you cant force apps to use it when the developer of that app never implemented camera2 api to begin with, you enable camera2 api for google camera because custom roms and lots of phones don't have it enabled at all. Some phones sold from stores have camera2 api enabled out of the box.
I do actually wish there was a way to fix this, as i've thought about this myself, i did ask a question here about the same type of thing you can read it if you like.
https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/200073/stock-os-vs-custom-proprietary-camera
also this the different levels of camera2 api supported depending on your phone
https://www.androidexplained.com/camera2-api-support/
the only other idea, i have is if the rom you use lets you choose the stock camera app to use and you change that to google camera and whatever, but i'm sure that's wishful thinking as when you do a video call an app will likely default to it's own camera even if you do that, but couldn't hurt to try it i guess!
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Thankyou very much. But sad. Because many cheaper phone have better facebook messenger video call quality.

dynamic503 said:
Thankyou very much. But sad. Because many cheaper phone have better facebook messenger video call quality.
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Click to collapse
Your welcome, hmm what phones have you seen with better video call quality on facebook messenger? i assume you have compared to more expensive phones.
That just becomes confusing, since for example just because a bunch of apps use camera2 api doesn't mean they will all be the same, software optimisations determine if it looks better or worse.
I would have assumed facebook's software was exactly the same for each phone it has been put on, unless it's simply the case these cheaper phones your speaking of are benefiting from a closed source driver, and for some crazy reason xiaomi phones don't have a binary for it, guess i'll look into that at some point.
Now that i've got this phone, yes xiaomi's camera app in particular is very good photo quality, better then any camera app i've seen on any custom rom very adjustable.
Worth noting i installed lineage os that had the xiaomi's default camera included in the rom i compared the quality to when i was using stock camera on miui itself, i couldn't see any differences in picture quality, which suggests to me perhaps xiaomi's camera isn't using any closed source driver, binary at all and it's quality is simply optimisations and the fact there's no binary driver is why there other apps look worse.
Just guessing at this point, but that's about the only scenario i think makes sense.
Just remembered there's a new thing called Project Treble the note 5 pro can upgrade to be treble compatible i have the note 5 ai so i got treble out of the box the crux is, if you flash a rom well a treble rom is called a GSI, generic system image a benefit of this, if it allows you to keep the vendor partition untouched while using custom roms, the vendor partition is where the closed source driver is and does mean a custom rom can use those drivers as they haven't been removed.
So it would mean custom roms with good camera/videos of course Treble is so new, so who noes if that's working properly yet! and it would assume xiaomis phones had closed drivers, if your not using miui and camera is bad then no surprise try go back to miui you never said what you use.
anyways you can read about that here.
https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/05/13/project-treble-impact-android-custom-rom-community/
it points out the stuff about cameras and roms.

Alister. said:
Your welcome, hmm what phones have you seen with better video call quality on facebook messenger? i assume you have compared to more expensive phones.
That just becomes confusing, since for example just because a bunch of apps use camera2 api doesn't mean they will all be the same, software optimisations determine if it looks better or worse.
I would have assumed facebook's software was exactly the same for each phone it has been put on, unless it's simply the case these cheaper phones your speaking of are benefiting from a closed source driver, and for some crazy reason xiaomi phones don't have a binary for it, guess i'll look into that at some point.
Now that i've got this phone, yes xiaomi's camera app in particular is very good photo quality, better then any camera app i've seen on any custom rom very adjustable.
Worth noting i installed lineage os that had the xiaomi's default camera included in the rom i compared the quality to when i was using stock camera on miui itself, i couldn't see any differences in picture quality, which suggests to me perhaps xiaomi's camera isn't using any closed source driver, binary at all and it's quality is simply optimisations and the fact there's no binary driver is why there other apps look worse.
Just guessing at this point, but that's about the only scenario i think makes sense.
Just remembered there's a new thing called Project Treble the note 5 pro can upgrade to be treble compatible i have the note 5 ai so i got treble out of the box the crux is, if you flash a rom well a treble rom is called a GSI, generic system image a benefit of this, if it allows you to keep the vendor partition untouched while using custom roms, the vendor partition is where the closed source driver is and does mean a custom rom can use those drivers as they haven't been removed.
So it would mean custom roms with good camera/videos of course Treble is so new, so who noes if that's working properly yet! and it would assume xiaomis phones had closed drivers, if your not using miui and camera is bad then no surprise try go back to miui you never said what you use.
anyways you can read about that here.
https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/05/13/project-treble-impact-android-custom-rom-community/
it points out the stuff about cameras and roms.
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Vivo V9 ... have better facebook video call quality...
Thankyou for your information

Camera performance in WhatsApp is very poor for rn5 pro selfie camera. How it could be improved ?

mjnabi said:
Camera performance in WhatsApp is very poor for rn5 pro selfie camera. How it could be improved ?
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No way now. Plz all of us report to Xiaomi

Yes plz report to Xiaomi

Related

Camera2-API fixed for 3rd-party camera apps or not?

Dear owners of an OnePlus 5T and maybe 5 too,
please grant me an answer to a really important question: Is the Camera2-API bug fixed for the OP5T or is it still valid and OnePlus didn't do anything against it?
Please do following:
Download Open Camera > Go to settings > Scroll down > Switch on Camera2-API > Cover the rear camera with your hand > Read the values at the very top of your screen:
• If ISO 799 and 1/16,7 is still here: Nothing was fixed. Please leave a reply.
• If values differ from those values (ISO 799 1/16,7) OnePlus finally fixed the Camera2 API. Please also leave a reply.
Thanks in advance.
MickyFoley said:
Dear owners of an OnePlus 5T and maybe 5 too,
please grant me an answer to a really important question: Is the Camera2-API bug fixed for the OP5T or is it still valid and OnePlus didn't do anything against it?
Please do following:
Download Open Camera > Go to settings > Scroll down > Switch on Camera2-API > Cover the rear camera with your hand > Read the values at the very top of your screen:
• If ISO 799 and 1/16,7 is still here: Nothing was fixed. Please leave a reply.
• If values differ from those values (ISO 799 1/16,7) OnePlus finally fixed the Camera2 API. Please also leave a reply.
Thanks in advance.
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Click to collapse
Glad I could help.
ISO 9600 and 1/16,7s
so what does this mean now exactly?!
what are the advantages, what can be accomplished? the Google Cam HDR still doesn't seem to work correctly on the 5t.
@vercetti: The reason why I'm asking it: There are several good, real camera apps out, taking advantage of the Camera2 API. I still have the 3T and OnePlus didn't fix the Camera2 API implementation for us. Neither with Oreo. With the correct implementation (thanks for the confirmation @Wilux), Open Camera, Footej Camera, A Better Camera, etc. will work correctly and a Google Camera port is more likely than with a bugged implementation of the API - like for the 3 and 3T.
OnePlus 5 also shows ISO 9600 and 1/16,7s (latest stock rom)
MickyFoley said:
@vercetti: The reason why I'm asking it: There are several good, real camera apps out, taking advantage of the Camera2 API. I still have the 3T and OnePlus didn't fix the Camera2 API implementation for us. Neither with Oreo. With the correct implementation (thanks for the confirmation @Wilux), Open Camera, Footej Camera, A Better Camera, etc. will work correctly and a Google Camera port is more likely than with a bugged implementation of the API - like for the 3 and 3T.
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This means pictures will be lot better then on original camera app?
Would like to see some comparison from OP5t camera and OpenCamera. I still thinking to buy this great piece of tech, but its all about camera what I am focused about. Google phones not available in my country (officialy), Im getting sick over Samsungs (got them for 3 years now, too much!) as all what is good on Sammies is camera. Want to move from my s7e as there was no good flagship, but OP5t is perfect, if at least have same quality of pictures/videos as its on s7e, even if that means using 3rd party app.
@droidhd: This means, the device is theoretically able to do better images via the correct working Camera2 API. Mostly, images will be bad because of post-processing. And if you shoot RAW, mostly the hardware and the correct implemented API is significant for good photos. Maybe you'll see more grain. Maybe the colors aren't the same like you do with the standard camera app. But I'd say: Yes, they get better with more advanced camera apps.
My list of professional camera apps (No need for social media crap like filters, effects, etc.):
Open Camera: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.sourceforge.opencamera (Simply a great piece of software!)
Snap Camera HDR (Beta): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.marginz.snap (Looks like abandoned. Last update 1 year ago)
Manual Camera: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.vipek.camera2
A Better Camera Unlocked: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.almalence.opencam_plus (Looks abandoned, but will get updates from time to time. Unsteady, but alive)
Camera FV-5 (Beta): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.flavionet.android.camera.pro
ProShot: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.riseupgames.proshot2
Footej Camera: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.footej.camera
Sadly, only one for video left:
FiLMiC Pro: https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=FiLMiC+Inc. (Please try Evaluator first!)
Cinema FV-5: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.flavionet.android.cinema.pro (Seems abandoned. Last update 2 years ago)
The list isn't very long, I know. Feel free to extend it. But please: No filters, no effects, no social media like things. Those are around in thousands and nothing professional in it!
Micky, could you explain to me why it is common knowledge that picture quality is usually best when the stock rom with the stock cam is used compared to any photography app running on custom roms?
I've read in so many threads, posts... that people went back to the stock rom just because pic quality is higher than on custom rom.
is this history when camera2 API works correctly? meaning that images are identical when using open camera on stock vs opencam on custom rom? or would opencam (or any other photo app) still produce images of lesser quality when used on a custom rom?
People went back, because of the abstraction layer and because drivers are still closed source. I'd like to compare it a bit:
If you setup a new computer, you only have standard drivers for each and everything. You can use it, but only if you install the correct drivers, things get to start working like they should. Like your graphics card: Working, but you'll notice some kind of stuttering/tearing when scrolling in your browser on certain websites. If you install the driver for your card: All is smooth, like it should.
So we can say: Drivers in AOSP are more like standard. Not all functions, more workarounds, but working OK. And drivers directly from stock (OEM) will get all functions to work good and smooth (if they're implemented correctly).
But you can see, that it's possible to get great photos out of your device with mods for Google Camera even on AOSP-ROMs. Because this mod brings itself some "magic". So you see: Closed source vs. open source. If we'd have the full code of the drivers: Photos, produced by the standard camera app of every OEM would probably look like crap.
OnePlus once promised to get us at least the camera blobs, but they didn't. They say: "Too hard!". Lie, because they know, that their already scratched images would suffer more than now, because Devs like sultanxda would have kicked their butts out of the universe by producing better photos than the stock camera app.
Thx for the answer Micky, i like the comparison with the computer and missing drivers, you made it much clearer now!
But 2 questions still remain:
1.) Does a 3rd party photo app (like Open Camera or any other one) lead to the exact the same picture quality if installed on a stock rom as compared to being used on a custom rom? Or will a 3rd party app still be better on the stock rom than on a custom rom because of the drivers you explained before?
And 2.) does this whole camera2 API aspect change what you explained about the driver situation? Meaning, that there is no need anymore for the drivers that can only be found in a stock rom because camera2 API gets to use the whole potential of the camera hardware?
Just trying to figure out where the best image quality can be found. The whole thing is too confusing to me, sorry
@vercetti: Sorry for the late reply. Was kinda busy. To answer your questions:
1: Yes and no. Depends. But pictures will probably visualize it a bit better:
HAL1 (LEGACY):
HAL3 (CAMERA2):
A bit more complex explained: https://source.android.com/devices/camera/camera3
2: HAL and driver are bond together. Without a driver, you can't even get HAL1 to work . But yes: A correct working HAL3 implementation will get you to the point of using your full potential of your camera. Again depends on the driver too . Hard to explain, but the more advanced explanation at Google should answer your questions very well.

How to get the best camera quality?

So, this is it. I'm running ZUI 2.5.412 ST, and read somewhere that it has a glass lens and it can compete with many high quality cellphone cameras. The thing is, that with stock camera app I'm not getting nearly the performance on mid light as i see on youtube. Pretty much on outside light it looks amazing (anyway, the fact that i cannot tell the difference there doesn't mean that it's not there). Also there are [email protected] videos there, where the stock camera app and stock zui doesn't let me modify the fps settings at any way, the questions are mostl likely:
1) Is stock camera app the best quality option? I'm not into ROMs and this kind of apps neither, so don't know how much it would change. Could I change the fps and more quality settings with this or that is a ROM-thing
2) I want to flash a new ROM (as I read, Jaguar is the most stable) but, if I'm not mistaken, general camera quality for videos and photos on ROMs tends to be worse, can you confirm me this? Or there's a ROM with good photos and video quality that I can check out? I'm using automatic settings and that's mostly what I look for, anyway wouldnt mind having great manual settings to adjust if i want to for some specific shots!
3) When you flash camera blobs and default camera app on a custom ROM, what does it really mean? I can get stock performance on custom ROMs? Will it work for any camera app as long as I install the blobs?
4) What's the native and best output scalation for front camera and front back camera? Don't know how to tell if the lens are 4:3, 1:1 or 16:9, is there info of that somewhere?
Thank you so much!
Stock ZUI has better camera quality than a custom ROM. AFAIK, no one has ported the ZUI camera app and framework to a custom ROM.
On a Nougat custom ROM without camera2 API support, your best bet is the OnePlus camera app. It does HDR, but photos are still awful. This is the current setup I have, and photos are much worse than the Nexus 5 I migrated from (which used the GCam app with HDR+).
Some Oreo ROMs support camera2 API, so you can use a modded GCam app. Google's HDR+ algorithm produces pretty decent photos. This is probably the highest quality you'll get on a custom ROM - but it's still a little unstable at the moment and I don't know how it compares to the ZUI camera.
Passa91 said:
Stock ZUI has better camera quality than a custom ROM. AFAIK, no one has ported the ZUI camera app and framework to a custom ROM.
On a Nougat custom ROM without camera2 API support, your best bet is the OnePlus camera app. It does HDR, but photos are still awful. This is the current setup I have, and photos are much worse than the Nexus 5 I migrated from (which used the GCam app with HDR+).
Some Oreo ROMs support camera2 API, so you can use a modded GCam app. Google's HDR+ algorithm produces pretty decent photos. This is probably the highest quality you'll get on a custom ROM - but it's still a little unstable at the moment and I don't know how it compares to the ZUI camera.
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Yes, but I mean, I saw some photos on youtube/google and also videos, my quality is not even near that, I understand photos could be taken with manual options, but the videos too? Also saw that many low-light videos look slow af, mines doesn't, but the quality is waaaay worse. Don't know what setting I'm missing really. Does the OnePlus camera app let you configure all the settings for photos and video? Or it's as limited as the stock one?
No, the OnePlus app has very few configuration options. It's probably worse than stock in that regard.
You could try flashing one of the ROMs with camera2 API support and see how you find the quality of GCam HDR+. I don't know where you saw videos of fantastic Z2 camera performance - it's always been really disappointing for me personally, regardless of settings or configuration.
Passa91 said:
No, the OnePlus app has very few configuration options. It's probably worse than stock in that regard.
You could try flashing one of the ROMs with camera2 API support and see how you find the quality of GCam HDR+. I don't know where you saw videos of fantastic Z2 camera performance - it's always been really disappointing for me personally, regardless of settings or configuration.
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Just saw a few from youtube, I didn't mean it's fantastic, but it's better than mine for sure
following
I installed jaguar and didn't find any noticeable difference in quality and jaguar let's u change fps...
Some Oreo ROMs support camera2 API, so you can use a modded GCam app. Google's HDR+ algorithm produces pretty decent photos. This is probably the highest quality you'll get on a custom ROM - but it's still a little unstable at the moment and I don't know how it compares to the ZUI camera.
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Click to collapse
Does the modded Google Camera HDR work on these roms?
Passa91 said:
Stock ZUI has better camera quality than a custom ROM. AFAIK, no one has ported the ZUI camera app and framework to a custom ROM.
On a Nougat custom ROM without camera2 API support, your best bet is the OnePlus camera app. It does HDR, but photos are still awful. This is the current setup I have, and photos are much worse than the Nexus 5 I migrated from (which used the GCam app with HDR+).
Some Oreo ROMs support camera2 API, so you can use a modded GCam app. Google's HDR+ algorithm produces pretty decent photos. This is probably the highest quality you'll get on a custom ROM - but it's still a little unstable at the moment and I don't know how it compares to the ZUI camera.
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Click to collapse
I have a nexus 5 , looking to upgrade. Good choice?
I keep switching between ZUI stock camera app, Open Camera, and Camera MX app.
I guess they process images quite differently from each other so at different condition, different app (out of those 3) produce good results.
I am not a camera guru so I rarely go manual. So I keep switching between those three in auto mode to find the best one to shoot.
GopalKaul said:
I have a nexus 5 , looking to upgrade. Good choice?
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I got the Z2 early this year - it was a good replacement for the N5. Similar form factor, much better battery life, faster performance. But the N5 has a better camera and the ROM scene was much better.
Passa91 said:
I got the Z2 early this year - it was a good replacement for the N5. Similar form factor, much better battery life, faster performance. But the N5 has a better camera and the ROM scene was much better.
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Does the ported GCam work on this? The camera on nexus 5 rocks with HDR+... If it works, this device is mine...
GopalKaul said:
Does the ported GCam work on this? The camera on nexus 5 rocks with HDR+... If it works, this device is mine...
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Yes, but only on Oreo roms because only there does the camera2 api work, and at the time all the Oreo ROMs are on an alpha stage, so unless someone manages to enable c2a on nougat, or if you want to be using an alpha/beta stage roms, you will have to wait a bit for the best experience
panchodmb said:
Yes, but only on Oreo roms because only there does the camera2 api work, and at the time all the Oreo ROMs are on an alpha stage, so unless someone manages to enable c2a on nougat, or if you want to be using an alpha/beta stage roms, you will have to wait a bit for the best experience
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So..... I'm gonna get this beast in 2 months?
panchodmb said:
Yes, but only on Oreo roms because only there does the camera2 api work, and at the time all the Oreo ROMs are on an alpha stage, so unless someone manages to enable c2a on nougat, or if you want to be using an alpha/beta stage roms, you will have to wait a bit for the best experience
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Thanks for the update. That's encouraging! I would've migrated the phone to Oreo if it were not for the lack of Agps.
glasseffects said:
Thanks for the update. That's encouraging! I would've migrated the phone to Oreo if it were not for the lack of Agps.
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There is no GPS on the phone?
GopalKaul said:
There is no GPS on the phone?
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There is gps and Agps, maybe he meant that on actual Oreo roms there's no way to enable Agps, don't know
GopalKaul said:
There is no GPS on the phone?
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Click to collapse
A-GPS is network assisted GPS and it's not yet possible on Oreo for ZUK Z2. GPS on the other hand will work but a location fix will take minutes, that means no instantaneous location sharing or resolution in apps.

HOW TO: FIX the G5 Plus Camera (mods, tools, guides)

UPDATE: Used hide tags to organize this post better and make information easier to find.
Alright, so you've got a shiny new Moto G5 plus, which supposedly has a similar Sony imx sensor as the one found on flagships like the Galaxy S7 and Pixel2. Yet, you are somehow disappointed by the camera's quality.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
Turns out the camera sensor on this thing is actually pretty darned good, and the f/1.7 lens is no slouch, however it is being held back by poorly designed software from Moto/Lenovo.
Before I got into the solutions, let me specifically point out the problems I found with the camera so we're on the same page (click to reveal content, or just skip the fixes below):
1) Overzealous Sharpening and aggressive Noise Reduction are the biggest culprits. It almost looks like a bad filter is being applied to your images, turning fine details into mush and contrasty lines like text into something bizarre and artificial looking. The camera is doing this as part of the internal capture process, so this happens no matter what application it is taken in.
2) Highlights clipping earlier than it should. I'd say this might be a function of the camera's sensor more than the hardware, but analyzing RAW data from the sensor (more on that later) in my admittedly unscientific half-hazard naked eye, I'd go out on a limb and say it seems like we're not being shown all the DR the camera is able to see. To the layman: this means brights turn completely white effectively overexposing parts of the image that should otherwise still look OK.
3) The preview/viewfinder mode is even worse at #1 than the captured image is. That is, the preview mode (the video feed you see before you capture the full resolution image) is still applying the sharpening and NR at the same level as the captured image, however since the resolution is lower for the preview, it looks more exaggerated and ugly. This means two things: A) Its hard to tell what the image you take will look like, as the preview is ugly (and you have to hope the final will look better), and B) some apps use the preview feed as their capture method. For example, snapchat and augmented reality apps like Pokemon Go. It just looks terrible.
The good news is that there is a lot that can be done to improve and fix the camera.
The bad news is that almost all of it requires modifying system files. That means those with locked bootloaders (Amazon ad users or those who are afraid of voiding their warranties) might be out of luck.
You don't necessarily need root access, although some of this can be more easily performed with root. I needed to unlock my bootloader and performed most of this within TWRP, but chose to keep my phone otherwise unrooted. I'm going to split this into sections, fixing and improving.
A) FIXING THE IMAGE PROCESSING ISSUES
If you want to remove/circumvent the aggressive sharpening and NR issues (so that apps like snapchat or other camera applications don't look over-processed, including the stock Moto cam), try the following:
1) Chromatix mod. Shout out to @defcomg for finding and adjusting the values that control sharpening and NR in the system libs. See thread here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/g5-plus/themes/modcamera-aggressive-sharpening-noise-t3604458
There are two sets of files to replace in your system. Chromatix and LIBMM. NOTE: I don't recommend the LIBMM / binning part. Binning is combining pixels together into an averaged single pixel value, effectively reducing resolution to combat noise on the sensor. In other words, instead of having a large possibly noisy image, you get a smaller less noisy picture. But you can always choose to resize the image in post after you take it with the same resulting effect, so I don't see why this would be desirable to do. I recommend just applying the chromatix mod to remove the sharpening and NR. If you're comfortable using TWRP, there's actually a flashable zip in post #9, which is what I personally did (again, remember I'm not rooted, so I needed to flash/overwrite/etc within TWRP).
After applying this mod, even the stock camera app looks better, and apps that use the live preview (Snapchat, Pokemons AR view, etc) don't have the shadow ghosting from excessive sharpening anymore either. You might want to apply some sharpening and NR in post yourself if the image requires it, but thats always something you can choose but at least you have control over it and even without doing that it looks far better and more natural than stock to me.
2) Enable camera2 API. This doesn't have a direct effect on quality, but will allow other apps to have more direct access to the camera. If you want to improve beyond the results of #1 above, you'll need this.
The stock rom, surprisingly, has Camera2 API included, however it is disabled by the build.prop file. Again, no idea why Moto/Lenovo chose to do this, but the good news is you can enable it again easily. To do this, you need to add the following line to the build.prop
persist.camera.HAL3.enabled=1
Or if rooted, via terminal / shell:
su persist.camera.HAL3.enabled 1
Once this is enabled, you can use apps such as the modified freedcam to shoot RAW, as found here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/g5-plus/how-to/how-to-enable-camera2-shoot-raw-root-t3582392
I found RAW from this app particularly difficult to work with, so I'm keeping it for experimentation purposes but for practical real-world usage, I'd recommend the next item below.
B) IMPROVING YOUR PHOTOS (or, how to install Google Camera!)
Section A was all about how to avoid the crummy filters that get automatically applied to the camera. But your device is capable of even BETTER photos by using Google's magic HDR+ algorithm (the special sauce that makes the Pixel phones so awesome). Here's how to do that:
1) If you haven't already enabled the Camera2 API, you need to do that first (info in section A above).
2) Get a working version of Google Camera with HDR+ for your phone. The last available 32-bit version with HDR+ is Gcam 4.2, so if you're on the stock ROM like I am, you're stuck with only the 32-bit versions (all the new versions with the bells and whistles are 64-bit only). The image quality is remarkably better, both in sharpness and dynamic range in almost any light. I have to admit, I'm in love with the images from this, and have even printed some for my wall.
You can get the APK ported from the Nexus 5x version here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=74081041&postcount=3
UPDATE: New version from Savitar on post #44!
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=75483974&postcount=44
Problem is, our cameras use a different focus system than phones like the Nexus and Pixel. So, in photo mode, it doesn't really work correctly. Switching over to video mode, however, DOES work (likely using contrast detection focus, which is slower but more universal, especially for video focus). So the workaround is to swipe over to video mode, focus, swipe back to photos and press-and-hold to lock focus. It's annoying, but HDR+ is that good that I still try to work with it much of the time.
For times that it would be frustrating or not necessary, I'll just resort to the stock camera app or Footej camera, since the chromatix mod makes them mostly usable now. Just not ZOMG AMAZING like the Google HDR+ does.
OPTIONAL #3) Install a 64-bit custom Rom and use the latest Google Camera HDR+ app floating around (v4.4). The recent versions B-S-G released based on the Pixel camera has options to change camera modes in settings, some combination of which supposedly focus properly. You will likely get a more stable camera app experience with this as it requires less modification to work, but you'll have to be committed enough to go off stock.
Check out the app and suggested settings to try here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=74999182&postcount=19
Thanks @shanks125 for the info!
Update 1/3/18: I just heard there is a port of the new portrait mode feature from the Pixel2 that is sort of working on 64-bit roms, but I think some modifications will need to be made to avoid focus drift like previous modded gcam versions.
There is also a 32-bit version of the new v4.4 that @Aby lad came up with in this thread:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/google-camera-4-4-arm-device-t3666090
In order to make it more compatible with other devices, it looks like he has disabled the Hexagon DSP, which I think is what makes HDR+ work, so while we can now change settings and focus, HDR+ isn't working. The app still has some Google goodies like Sphere and Blur mode, but without HDR+ the real benefit of Google camera is lost anyway. Might as well use stock with chromatix mod at that point.
Hope some of you find this helpful/useful!
UPDATE 12/28/17: New GCam with 6P features on post #14.
There actually may be some alternate versions of the gcam apk with benefits the one originally linked above doesn't have. I will try to update when if/when I find them.
Dishe said:
There actually may be some alternate versions of the gcam apk with benefits the one originally linked above doesn't have. I will try to update when if/when I find them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be useful!
So if I apply the chromatic mode, do I still have to enable the Camera2 API?
It's my bad. I would like to know if there is a way to disable Camera2 api. I am on Linage 14.1 and I edited my prop.build (yeah, I know). I switched back to the original line of code, but camera app still crashing. How to revert without reflashing the rom? Thanks.
edit. reflashed.
iBART said:
It's my bad. I would like to know if there is a way to disable Camera2 api. I am on Linage 14.1 and I edited my prop.build (yeah, I know). I switched back to the original line of code, but camera app still crashing. How to revert without reflashing the rom? Thanks.
edit. reflashed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try clearing data+cache for the camera app?
iamsonal said:
So if I apply the chromatic mode, do I still have to enable the Camera2 API?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, but it doesn't hurt to so why not? Some apps will have more options in camera2 if enabled.
iBART said:
It's my bad. I would like to know if there is a way to disable Camera2 api. I am on Linage 14.1 and I edited my prop.build (yeah, I know). I switched back to the original line of code, but camera app still crashing. How to revert without reflashing the rom? Thanks.
edit. reflashed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is another way to enable camera2 api if you're using a custom ROM. You need to flash a magisk module.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=74081041&postcount=3
Which Google camera works in a complete stock g5? I keep getting a praising error with every one I try.
eemgee said:
Which Google camera works in a complete stock g5? I keep getting a praising error with every one I try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Parsing error means you are probably trying to use a 64-bit or one made for a different version of Android (7.1 instead of 7.0). The one linked above will work.
However, all recent versions of Google's Camera require the camera2 api to work. That's one of the primary reasons to enable the Camera2 api in my opinion. It comes in the stock rom, but it is disabled for some inexplicable reason (G5S model has it enabled, so some people are hoping that we'll get it enabled with an update or at least when Oreo rolls around). The good news is that it only takes one line of text in the build.prop file to enable it on the G5+. However, the bad news is that build.prop is part of the protected system partition, so editing it requires root-level file access. Doesn't seem to be any way to do that without unlocking the bootloader, so either way you won't be able to do it on a 100% stock g5+ as things are right now.
Thanks i managed to get 2.7 working.
I will unlock the bootloader at some point in the next few weeks....
There is also a Magisk module in post #54 on that Chromatix thread. Really helpful!
Hi, so in search for better images from my g5+ camera I stumbled upon this place and rooted my phone to add the chromatix mods and edit the build.prop file .
I downloaded the google camera port v4.2 for the hdr+ but have been unable to install it as I get the error that package may be corrupted.
So could someone please link me to one which is good or upload it.
And BIG thanks to this community.
New gcam from savitar
UPDATE: Better gcam version from Savitar/Defcomg
http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=00826724446841525700
Features:
Burst Mode (hold shutter button)
Focus doesn't drift when switching from video mode (this is a huge fix IMO- old app would drift after setting focus in video mode).
Selfie cam now has HDR as well (with caveats)
RAW image capture with each photo!
Instructions for use are largely the same as the old app, but it works better / more reliably now:
WHEN USING APP FOR THE FIRST TIME, GO INTO SETTINGS AND CHANGE VIDEO TO 4K. This will prevent FCs.
To take a picture:
1) Swipe left to switch to video mode, tap to focus
2) Once focus is achieved, swipe right to return to photo mode. (Focus should not drift in this version)
3) Tap the area again in photo mode, and hit the shutter button.
NOTES:
It appears that you no longer need to press-and-hold to lock focus in photo mode before shooting. I believe this is because the focus system doesn't adjust anymore in photo mode (I'm guessing Savitar/Defcomg removed it to combat that focus drifting problem). It is already locked at wherever you put it in video mode. You DO however need to still tap the screen as if you are focusing. I think this is because the camera needs to think it is focusing, but it is anyway helpful to tap somewhere for metering / exposure reading purposes. Skipping the press-and-hold to lock focus makes it a lot more manageable.
This version of the app is setup to shoot RAW+Jpeg, so you will find your camera roll will have both a jpeg and DNG file of the shot. Be aware that the RAW DNG files are multiple times larger than the jpeg, so you may want to keep an eye on storage if you shoot a lot of them. They're really useful if you want to adjust WB and exposure afterwards, quality is astoundingly good.
Selfie Mode was broken in HDR+ on earlier builds because for some reason the front camera on our phone doesn't return an ISO value to the app (says iso is zero). The HDR+ algorithm would fail. Savitar/defcomg fixed it by setting it always return a value (he picked 100, otherwise it would overexpose in daylight). The catch is that in lower lighting, the selfie HDR+ comes out darker than expected. Thankfully you can take the RAW file and adjust the exposure in post if needed (snapseed, Lightroom mobile, etc). But there might be times it is just too dark to be useful. The difference when it works is big enough that I recommend it trying it at least once to compare.
ENJOY!
Big shout out to @defcomg for this and all his awesome mods!
Landscape gcam 6p
A modified version of the APK above is available which starts the camera off focused at infinity.
http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=31694573387513766779
This was made for people who want to shoot landscapes and/or things far enough away that they don't want to deal with focusing (swipe to video mode, etc). See a beautiful sunset for example, open this app, tap the sky and hit the shutter. Its already focused in the right position.
Otherwise identical to previous post's apk. Can be installed side-by-side, as each app has its own ID.
can't use gcam because it crashes at first run
marcol87 said:
can't use gcam because it crashes at first run
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do u have camera2 API enabled?
Dishe said:
UPDATE: Better gcam version from Savitar/Defcomg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for sharing this.
Add this, BSG GCam MOD with working HDR+ and Touch to Focus for 64bit roms. Settings as per attachment! https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=889964283620770378
Dishe said:
Do u have camera2 API enabled?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, I added persist.camera.HAL3.enabled=1 to build.prop and rebooted
Dishe said:
persist.camera.HAL3.enabled=1or
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Click to collapse
ps: the string persist.camera.HAL3.enabled=1 is wrong in the OP

Does Xiaomi open source their camera blobs?

So normally when using Lineage OS any AOSP anything not Stock from the OEM we lose the camera binary, drivers blobs as their closed source. The camera quality then becomes bad, so is it open source for the redmi note 5? and do Xiaomi do that for any of their phones?
I no google camera ports and probably miui stock camera ports look good on AOSP, Lineage OS assuming that's more to do with camera2 api and software optimisations that they come out looking good.
With closed source camera drivers, it's more a issue all independent apps will look a lot worse while taking photos or video calls and other type of things, that can't simply be addressed by sending a photo to an app manually.
Thanks.

General OnePlus limits which camera sensors GCam can access in OxygenOS 12

OnePlus limits which sensors Google Camera mods can access in OxygenOS 12
By Arol Wright
For years, non-Pixel phones have been able to enjoy some of Google's camera magic, thanks to Google Camera ports/mods. Because a good part of the Pixel camera experience comes down to software, developers have figured out ways to bring parts of that experience to other devices. Among the root-and-ROM crowd, it's a popular practice that can let you enjoy Pixel camera features and enhanced processing on non-Pixel devices. Now a seemingly arbitrary restriction by OnePlus will keep Google Camera mods (and all third party camera apps) from accessing auxiliary cameras on the company's phones.
If you aren't familiar with the concept, a handful of popular developers (including folks like cstark27, BSG, and Arnova8G2) port and modify versions of the Pixel's Google Camera app to third-party devices. It can take some research to track down a version that plays nice on your particular phone, and there are usually a couple broken features and some bugs, but you can often get much better photo results from these modified camera apps than you can on the app your phone shipped with, as well as enjoy some of those Pixel-specific camera features on your non-Pixel phone.
As of OxygenOS 12, the auxiliary cameras (read: the non-primary ultrawide, macro, or telephoto lens) are no longer accessible outside of OnePlus' own camera app, as reported on the Google Camera Port Updates Telegram group. This means that if you were to install a Google Camera mod on your OnePlus phone running Android 12, you'd only be able to use the primary camera/sensor with it. And, if it wasn't clear, that means other apps won't have access to the other sensors either, including those you might download from the Play Store.
The OxygenOS 12 update that delivers this change has already been controversial among fans for other reasons. Not only is it essentially just Oppo's ColorOS with a handful of OnePlus-specific tweaks, but it's also absolutely loaded with bugs, something that eventually made OnePlus halt the update's rollout.
Notably, this auxiliary camera restriction is also present in Oppo phones running ColorOS. While it's unfortunate, that could mean the change is intentional, and we might not see this behavior revert back to a GCam-friendly practice if and when the update starts rolling out again.
If you have a OnePlus phone and want to keep using a Google Camera port or mod with all of your phone's sensors, consider holding off on the OxygenOS 12 update when it starts rolling out again. And if OnePlus doesn't bring the feature back, you can always try a ROM — they're relatively easy to install on OnePlus phones.
https://www.androidpolice.com/oxygenos-12-update-breaks-auxiliary-google-camera/

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